May 1, 2020 by John Bryan, Attorney at Law

The French folding knife, a.k.a., “clasp knife” imported into the North American Fur Trade was one of the earliest known types of knife to be introduced to the New World – dating back to the 1600’s, possibly earlier. These blades have been recovered from French-influenced sites throughout the territory of New France, which extended from Louisiana to Canada

With the advent of the profitable North American fur trade, many French “coureur des bois” (independent French-Canadian traders) traded these knives with Native Americans in exchange for furs or simply as gifts, or “presents.” These folding knives are among the first types of knives imported into the French territory of the New World.